Six years after Funiculì, Funiculà was composed, German composer
Richard
Strauss heard the song while on a tour of Italy. Thinking that
it was a traditional Italian folk song, he later incorporated it
into his Aus Italien symphony. To his great embarrassment,
Strauss realised his mistake when an angry Denza filed a lawsuit
against him. Denza won the lawsuit, and Strauss was forced to pay
him a royalty fee every time the Aus Italien was performed in
public.